How is your diet? Do you struggle to eat mostly healthy wholefoods? Are your veggies from supermarkets rather than farmers’ markets? Do you find it difficult to buy and eat organic in Hong Kong? And… are you under any stress? If the answer to any of these questions is a yes, then you might want to consider a detox, or supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals to maintain optimum health. Flex instructor Jessica Williams’ supps give a great foundation of health and are available at Flex studios.
Senior yoga and Pilates instructor at Flex, nutritionist and founder of Body Awakening, Jessica Williams is a health guru who not only consults for the numerous clients looking for health maintenance, but has also created an easy urban detox kit and a number of supplement products to help life in Hong Kong flow a little more healthily. Her Mag C, Probiotic Plus, True Green, VC and Omega Me are available at Flex, and here she explains why they are vital additions to your lifestyle.
“I understand that in order to be healthy we have to address our health on multiple levels. Yoga and Pilates are great physically, and also for our mental and energetic bodies. However, fundamentally there is nothing we do more than eat, except breathe. No wonder what we feed our bodies is so influential and essential to our physical and mental health.
“The first product I created was a cleansing and detox kit. The healing benefits that come from detox are profound and can be quick. People look and feel different fast, and doing a detox can wipe bad eating habits and let you start fresh. It’s not always feasible for people to travel to exotic places to detox, as time, money, work and family don’t always allow, but it is very possible to cleanse on your own at home.
“Then I started into a range of supplements. Working with nutrition clients I kept noticing a few key areas like digestive issues and food sensitivities crop up. Supplements are a great way to increase your nutritional content and health while alleviating common symptoms.”
Mag C – calcium magnesium powder
Sometimes there isn’t enough magnesium in our diets and I have added calcium as they work best when taken in a 2:1 calcium to magnesium ratio.
Why?
Magnesium helps muscles relax, acting as a natural tranquiliser for the nervous system. Calcium helps muscles contract, and is also good for bone health. This makes the combination beneficial for the heart, the digestion, insomnia and your bone strength, among other things.
Who should take Mag C?
Good for weekend warriors and those who workout regularly
Beneficial for those who suffer from high stress levels, as stress ‘eats’ magnesium from the body
Ideal for those suffering from cramping (post workout, during menstruation or pregnancy)
Helps recovery for those who regularly entertain/drink
And good for people suffering from insomnia
Probiotic Plus – high potency probiotic powder
Made with wild plum and Manuka honey, then bio fermented, Probiotic Plus has 25 billion healthy bacteria. A powder created from freeze-dried ingredients, the bacteria are inactive until you mix them with water and the warmth of the digestive system brings them back to life, so handily there is no need to refrigerate this product.
Why?
Probiotics replenish the good bacteria in the gut, repopulating the GI tract.
They are essential for our digestion and elimination, and they are key components of the immune system.
Who should take Probiotic Plus?
Good for those falling ill on a regular basis
Key for anyone on regular courses of antibiotics
Ideal for those with digestion issues like upsets, gas, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation
And for anyone suffering from regular yeast infections
True Green – superfood powder
Made with freeze dried spirulina, chlorella, wheat grass, alfalfa grass and mung beans, True Green is high in chlorophyll and includes 10 billion healthy probiotics.
Why?
This is a great supplement for boosting your intake of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It has a mild, neutral green taste and you can add it to water, juices or smoothies.
Who should take True Green?
Anyone needing a nutritional boost
Ideal for those travelling for work with a mixed diet
Good for anyone not eating enough greens
VC – Vitamin C
Our VC supps are made from premium grade ascorbic acid, a water-soluble vitamin essential to the body’s functioning, and natural rosehip extract, which is a source of vitamin C and bioflavonoids.
Why?
Vitamin C protects the body against free radical damage, and helps regenerate other antioxidants. It also helps with the synthesis of collagen (for tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and bone) and norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that boosts brain function and mood.
Who should take VC?
Good for boosting the immune system
Great for overall long-term health and a feeling of optimum wellbeing
Ideal for lifting the mood and brain power
Good for protecting against oxidative damage and fighting the ageing process
Omega Me
This is made from wild caught krill, which are tiny shrimp living in the Antarctic that are very low on food chain so don’t have issues with heavy metals like a lot of other oils can. I’m very conscious the oceans are over fished, but these are really sustainable and, importantly, wild caught.
Why?
Take them to boost your omega 3 essential fatty acids. Most people need to boost their 3s to balance their 6s for an ideal 1:1 ratio. Many of us have an imbalance between our Omegas 3 and 6. We need both, but if we consume too many 6s they become inflammatory.
Who should take Omega Me?
Anyone who needs help balancing hormones
Ideal for boosting brain health
Good for the overall health of our cell membranes as they are anti inflammatory
A good way to increase your intake of antioxidants
About Jessica
With a Masters of Science Degree in Holistic Nutrition, Jessica has over a decade of experience working within the nutrition and health industry, has managed one of the world’s leading detox and cleansing retreat centers and has taken hundreds (if not thousands) of people through cleansing and detox programs. She believes in the body’s innate ability to heal itself when given the right tools and Body Awakening provides the tools in the shape of high-quality, food based supplements and cleansing and detox kits, soon to be available at Flex, or find them online at www.bodyawakening.net.
Join one of Jessica’s new Ashtanga Yoga “Led” Primary Series yoga classes.